Is the Bread You Are Eating Causing You Stomach Problems?

Digestive problems affect 60 to 70 million Americans, so if you are one of those people, take heart that you are not alone. It is so common that I think people just believe that having digestive problems are just part of life.

I agree this can happen every once in a while to anyone. However, if you are having problems a few days a week, it might be time to get some advice from an expert, like your local naturopathic doctor.

It is possible that something that you are eating is actually creating the tummy trouble. Food allergies and food sensitivities are on the rise, or more specifically, correctly diagnosing food allergies and sensitivities is on the rise.

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Food allergies and sensitivities can cause many digestive troubles and they can cause symptoms outside of the digestive system as well. Today one food sensitivity that is becoming well-known is a gluten sensitivity, or gluten intolerance.

Gluten sensitivity or intolerance, along with celiac disease, cause many symptoms in the digestive tract as well as health problems in other parts of the body. Some grains have proteins on the cell surface called gluten, and more specifically gliadin, which can trigger the immune response in the intestinal tract.

The immune system tries to neutralize the gliadin and instead damages the intestinal cells. It ruins the normal digestive tract and causes the digestive system to create pain and inflammation in the body. The damage can also cause nutrient deficiencies that may contribute to other symptoms in the body.

Celiac disease affects many people without them even realizing it, but there are some tests that can diagnose it. Gluten sensitivity is harder to diagnose because while you might have the same symptoms as celiac disease, the lab tests do not come back positive for celiac.

In cases of gluten sensitivity or intolerance, I treat the symptoms and suggest that you avoid gluten-containing foods as that usually improves the symptoms. Symptoms that you may report are feeling bad or fatigued, complaining of digestive complaints, or an inability to lose weight.

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